As the Boston Red Sox continue to look for ways to add right-handed power to their lineup, two possibilities have risen to the surface. Both would go down as blockbuster moves. The first and, on the surface, simplest would be to offer Houston Astros free agent third baseman Alex Bregman the $200 million contract he is reportedly seeking.
The second option is more complex because it involves a trade. St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has said that unloading the contract of third baseman Nolan Arenado is a priority for carrying out the “reset” of the team’s roster that he plans to execute. The problem for the Cardinals is that Arenado has a no-trade clause in his contract — a contract that is set to pay the 33-year-old eight-time All Star another $74 million over the next three seasons.
Though Bregman has at least expressed a willingness to relocate to second base, in reality either move would create a logjam at the corner infield positions for the Red Sox. Third base at Fenway Park is currently occupied by Rafael Devers who is in just the third season of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract. And at first base, a key member of Boston’s young core of sluggers, 24-year-old Triston Casas.
Casas Would Become Odd Man Out
Taking Devers off third base would likely mean moving him to first, and that would leave Casas as the odd man out and a prime candidate to be traded.
Red Sox chief of baseball operations Craig Breslow has repeatedly denied that Casas is on the trade block.
“We’re not shopping Triston,” Breslow said in late December. “He obviously missed a number of months during the season, and we’re really excited for him to be completely healthy. He’s had a full healthy offseason.”
But a new report by the Boston-area news outlet MassLive appears to contradict Breslow’s denials — or at least shade them with more nuance, leaving open the possibility that Casas will be traded.
“Despite chief baseball officer Craig Breslow ardently denying that the club was shopping Casas earlier this week, there remains a belief in the industry that the Red Sox remain open to trading Casas, potentially for young pitching, to facilitate other roster maneuvering,” wrote MassLive Red Sox reporters Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam. “The Red Sox have discussed Casas with the Mariners and other clubs this winter but have not lined up on a deal.”
Who’s Better? Casas or Arenado?
Cotillo later clarified the reporting on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
“1) I’ve said since October I wouldn’t trade him if I ran the team, but I don’t,” Cotillo wrote. “2) I’m aware Breslow seemed to dismiss it. 3) His dismissal does not discount the fact executives with other teams have been told he’s available.”
If the Red Sox were to acquire Arenado, whether Casas was part of that trade or a later one, the move would effectively be a swap of Arenado for Casas. How do they compare? Based on 2024 statistics, the exchange would be a downgrade for the Red Sox, at least on the offensive side.
Though Casas appeared in only 63 games, his offensive numbers were better than Arenado’s: a .337 on-base percentage, .462 slugging and .800 OPS compared to .325, .394 and .719 respectively for Arenado.
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Red Sox Triston Casas Trade Still on Table, Despite Team Denial: MassLive Report